Shadowed Past
by FallenxAngel321
Summary: My take on Shadow's past, who he really is, and how Amy Rose is involved in it. (slight AU and OOC since I am going to change a few things later on...)
1. A New Planet

**Hello Everyone! As I promised: a 2013 Summer Shadamy story!**

**I had the idea for this story for a really long time and I think it will turn out interesting, but I am kind of afraid that some people will not like it.**

**If you are a die-hard MariaxShadow fan and think that they should get married and all that, great! But this story may not be for you. It is a ShadowxAmy story although Maria will come up later.**

**As I said in my summary, it is my take on Shadow's past.**

**Please don't be a hater!**

**Thank you! Enjoy~**

* * *

_**PRELOGUE**_

Thunder struck, lighting up the dark room with white light. Shadow the Hedgehog flinched awake from another nightmare-the same one he had for many years now. The one where Maria died right in front of him. Frowning, he sat up in his bed, blinked the world around him into view, and ruffled his quills in annoyance with his rough hands. It was starting to get really bothersome. Maria died a long time ago and there was nothing he could do about it now. It was time to move on. Really. Maria would want the same for him. Unfortunately, his mind disagreed, returning to the past every night and replaying the same images again and again. What could he do to stop this madness? Was his mind trying to tell him something? Something missing in his life?

Really.

It was starting to get really bothersome.

If only the world made sense.

No. That's not it.

If only the world held no secrets.

However, that was why the world existed. For holding secrets. Giving away clues, but never true answers. That would be too easy. The world wanted _you_ to find the answers.

At least, that was what it was _for him_.

* * *

It was raining. Pouring and hammering and greying up the world with silver water. One lonely pink hedgehog floated along beside the drowning road. She was unsure why she decided to leave the comfort of her sweet bed and go into the rain. Unsure what awoke her in the first place. But she knew she could trust her instincts. Well. She hoped she could. Either way, she wasn't able to deny the call. Amy Rose could only believe that the world was calling for a good reason and not for death, because that would just suck.

She couldn't die so early, after all. She had yet to successfully capture Sonic the Hedgehog for herself!

Her train of thought trickled away like the rain and Amy continued to walk, not fully awake, deeper and deeper into the storm until the light could not find her anymore.

She was gone. The world was gone. Everything had evaporated into the dark sky.

* * *

_**CHAPTER 1**_

The air was breathtakingly clean. One could breathe in and feel full with it. There was a calming scent in the air—warm and comforting like a room full of freshly washed sheets, a home. Amy blinked the sleep away and woke up to the new world.

Her mouth slacked open.

"Where the hell am I?" Amy screeched, her eyes raking all around her. Her ears twitched, trying to gain a bearing.

This place was not her room, not the city in which she lived, or anywhere familiar. In fact, she wasn't sure if she was still on Earth. A bubble of panic grew inside her, twisting her stomach horribly and chocking her in the cruelest way.

'How did I end up here?!' she thought. She shook her head away from panic. 'Okay. Step by step thinking, Amy. Everything has a reason. So. I was asleep in my bed, then I woke up and went into the storm….and that's it. I walked in the storm. Why did I do that? Hm…some kind of call. That does _not_ help me figure out how I wound up here. Where is _here_ anyway?' She took another look around before shifting into a fetal position. 'No need to panic. There is always a reason for everything. You just got to figure this out, Amy. Calm. Peace. Tranquility. Maybe there is someone you can ask for help!'

Lit with new hope, Amy peeked up and looked around a third time. Trees, some dark violet and others different shades of red, all placed a few yards away from the meadow-like area in which she was currently in. No life forms. Black soil, so hard and unyielding that Amy couldn't believe she wasn't sore from sleeping on it. No life forms. Shrub-looking plants scattered here and there in yellow-greenish shades. No life forms. Blood red sun. No life forms. Thunder clouds with no thunder. No life forms. Bright white stars. No life forms. Mountainous silhouettes in the distance. Life forms?

Amy nearly tripped over herself trying to get up, hurriedly dusting off the black dust off her dress and arms. Those silhouettes actually looked like buildings! Twisted, rocky looking buildings, but buildings none the less. Where there are buildings, there are life forms. And life forms meant that she wasn't alone on this strange planet. Leaving behind any thoughts of possibilities that the life forms she will find might not be so friendly, she took off into the alien forest, heading for the distant shadows. The moment she crossed the line between the meadow and forest, the world morphed. It didn't take long for the odd planet to trap her in its labyrinth of vampiric trees. They gloomed over her, blocking out the sinful sky. The once clean air had been diminishing more and more the further she ran. It was getting frighteningly hard to catch her breath. She tried to touch as little trees as possible, but the outstretched limbs seemed determined to scratch and claw at her hands and knees. After a half an hour of just sprinting blindly, Amy slowly came to a stop beside a very large tree. It was much bigger than the others, looking very much like a baobab but with wine red leaves and a glassy black trunk. It stood out from the rest not only by its size but by its small ring of space between it and the other trees. In her delusional state, Amy thought it looked like a prince among savages—a tree that didn't look like it wanted to eat her.

Panting, gasping for breath, Amy leaned against the tree with one hand over her heart. It was beating loudly and much too quickly to be a healthy pace for hearts to beat. It felt as if she had just run away from a raging dragon plus grizzly bear plus a Knuckles with a lost Master Emerald. She shivered. Did the temperature drop just now? Amy looked up into the sky shattered by twisted, black branches. The blood-stained sun was no longer there. Instead, an eerie yellow moon grinned down at her. A small blue moon accompanied it, peeking out from its place behind its older, larger brother moon.

Moving her gaze to the black soot ground, Amy continued to try and gain some oxygen in her aching lungs. Her mouth gaped open and her eyes were impossibly rounded. Both of her hands were now clutching her chest and digging deeper into her chest. Nothing helped. She felt as if she was dying. Why couldn't she breathe?! Panic blinded her. Tears sprang up in her eyes as she felt her consciousness slip away. The returning panic was making it all the worse.

Suddenly, she was staring into blood orbs.

"Calm yourself." Someone growled.

The stranger wrapped its hands around her fragile neck. Amy's panic rose to new heights. Calm herself? CALM herself?! How could she do that when this stranger was going to choke her?!

The stormy beast cursed as the pink being fainted.

* * *

When Amy woke up again, she was back in the clearing with that breathable air. Instead of jumping awake like last time, she didn't even attempt to get up. She wasn't entirely sure she even could. Her body ached and her throat felt raw. Her lungs were gasping with relief. Not being able to breathe can do that to you apparently. But then she heard that growl again and she wanted desperately to run again (even if it hurt to move). Instead, she rolled her head to the right, towards the same line of trees she ran to before.

Crouching a few yards away was the stranger, who was also probably her saver. It was deviously magnificent, looking three times her size even in its small stance. It had long, red-striped ears fanning from both sides of its face, ends pointed like arrows. There were spikes on the top of its head, on its shoulders, and down its back—the exact same color as its hide and tufts of raggedy fur that was littered over its cheeks, arms, legs, and tail. The same red stripes on its ears also decorated its body like a tigers. Diamond-white claws and teeth gleamed from their places, making the three blood orbs for eyes appear redder, darker, deeper. The third orb located right in between the other two was smaller, looking more like a jewel than an eye.

Looking into it, Amy heard her heart skip a beat. Not out of any form of happiness though. The skip was for the fear that pierced through her. That third eye was a source of evil and corruption. It didn't take a genius to figure that out. The perfectly round third eye leaked with malevolence.

"Who—What are you?" She screeched, jerking upright only to collapse back onto the sooty dirt as pain spiked along her body.

The ears flattened against its head in a wince. "Quit with the screams, female."

"Don't tell me what to do!" Amy blubbered as panic returned to her like a stalker.

In a fit of alarmed fury, Amy lashed out at the beast, throwing anything she could grab hold of (which mainly consisted of dirt and little shrubs). They never reached their target since she was still lying down on the ground and so couldn't aim very well.

"Cease your panic! Calm yourself!" The beast growled. "Do not be alarmed, odd one. I won't hurt you. Yet."

"Shut up!" Amy screamed. She couldn't think straight. She was panicking too much. She began to hyperventilate.

Amy clutched her chest once more, gasping in the air that burned instead of healed. She shut her eyes tight, trying to erase the alien surroundings. She was far from home for sure. The beast confirmed her suspicions. There was no way a thing like that existed on Earth. No one she could rely on was nearby. Only a stranger. A stranger with an evil eye. And even that was questionable.

A slight scuffling sound announced themselves to her. Then, she felt gentle arms wrap around her and she opened her eyes to stare into the blood orbs, not the third one, just the other two. The large rubies that functioned as the main eyes. Amy's eyes searched deep within them just as she had with the third eye. Surprisingly, the rubies were gentle and concerned. There was still a wild spark to them, but it wasn't evil—just determined- as if the beast had a schedule, a goal. A small part of her calmed at this. Perhaps the beast wasn't completely evil.

The beast held her for a long time until it was sure she was okay, then it released her and took a couple of steps away.

"Have you calmed yourself?" it asked.

Amy took a deep breath. "Yeah. I'm good." She looked up at it shyly. "You're not going to kill me, are you?"

"That would be as waste of time." It replied immediately.

Amy wasn't sure if she should take that as a compliment or not. She decided to ignore it.

"So. What are you?" Amy asked.

The beast puffed its chest outward, drawing itself up to stand regally, towering over Amy. "The son of Black Doom. Prince of the Black Arms. I am called Black Light."

Amy blinked at the new information. 'Black Arms…I feel like I've heard that before.'

"Well?" Black Light demanded. "What are you?"

"Amy Rose." She replied with a shrug. "A hedgehog."

"A…hedge…hog?" he frowned. He had never heard of such things. "Where are you from?"

"Earth, of course." Amy frowned back. "That reminds me. Where am I?"

"Gomjong Sek."

"What?"

"Gomjong Sek."

"…Gom….jong…. Sek."

"Yes. Gomjong Sek." Black Light started to get a little frustrated with the pink female. "You are on the planet Gomjong Sek, home of the Black Arms race."

"Oh my—How the hell did I travel through space?!" Amy screeched, panic rising again.

Black Light gently patted Amy's head. "Calm yourself."

"Don't tell me to calm myself! You didn't wind up on a whole new planet _overnight_!" Amy hissed. Her eyes wet with frustrated tears. "I don't even know you! I don't know this place! I want…I want my bed. My friends." Then the tears started flowing and they wouldn't stop.

"Calm y—"

"I can't even tell if you're a girl or a boy!" she wailed.

That got the beast frozen.

Amy frantically wiped at her tears. "Are you a male? Or do all female Black Arms have deep voices?"

"Of course I'm a male you insolent fool!" Black Light sputtered, looking shocked for the first time since their meeting.

Amy's reflective emerald eyes looked up at him, then she laughed.

"What?" He growled.

"Nothing! Sorry." She laughed, again. "I'm just very emotional right now. Long day and all." Tears were making their way back into her eyes.

Black Light huffed. "Are all hedgehogs this _emotional_?"

Amy immediately thought about Shadow. "No. Not all of them." She mused.

Black Light rolled his eyes in a very childish manner. His ears flicked in slight annoyance as he let out another huff of air. Amy was still giggling to herself. The moon was clearly visible in the night sky now that the trees weren't surrounding her from all sides. Amy smiled up at it for awhile until she realized that she should probably sleep. It was night after all. However, she was stuck with a beast that seemed to not need sleep and only hard, black earth for a bed. She didn't even realize that her eyes had fixed upon her stranger with a hesitantly questioning gaze until he barked at her.

"What? Out with it, female."

Amy blushed and opened her mouth, but the words were lost.

"Well?"

"I-I want to s-sleep." She finally stated, blushing even more as Black Light raised one eyebrow.

"Sleep?"

"Yeah. I'm guessing you don't need to sleep then." She sighed. 'Not to self. Black Arms do not sleep.'

"Is sleep the same as a rest?" he asked.

"Yeah. I need to sleep every night for a couple of hours to regain my energy."

"Every night?" His voice was colored in disbelief. "You hedgehogs sure run out of energy quickly if you need rest _every night_."

Not knowing what to say, Amy just shrugged.

A silent pause filled the space between them as the stared at each other.

"Well?" Black Light growled. "Go to sleep."

"I can't." Amy growled back.

"Why not?"

"You're here." Amy stated bluntly.

Black Light blinked slowly at her before getting up and moving closer to the edge of the meadow, grumbling about needy hedgehogs.

"I won't leave you completely. I'm still unsure of what to make of you." Black Light spoke loudly to make sure Amy heard him. "In the morning, you will follow me to my father's palace. He will deal with you as he sees fit." He paused as he contemplated something. "It might take a few days journey to reach him, however, since your pathetic lungs are unable to withstand the air pressures of the forest."

Amy should have been angry. She should have said something equally rude back at him. However, she was really tired now and just wanted to go to sleep and dream about a world that wasn't _here_.

* * *

**What do you think? So far so great?**


	2. Slave or Pet?

**Amy roxs1: I like Black Light, too. xD**

**Zari Thorn96: Sorry I couldn't update quickly, but considering how long it usually takes me to write, this was pretty quick. I'm working on it, though. lol**

**AuthornessRose: That's good to hear! (Helps with the motivation to write) :3**

**rosella: Um. If you could be more specific on what you don't understand, I will try to clear your confusion to the best of my abilities!**

**THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT SO FAR! LUV U!**

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CHAPTER 2

"When will you wake, hedgehog?" a voice whispered in her ear urgently. "It is no longer safe here."

"Mm. Why not?" Amy mumbled, still mostly asleep. She shifted softly on the ground, trying to get comfortable despite the fact that Black Light was still trying to shake her awake.

"There are predators attracted to your stink." Black Light stated, his eyes scorching around them for clues to the intruders' location. "It appears your smell appeals to Pukas."

Amy was more awake by now. "Pukas?"

"Disgusting beasts. They like to play tricks on other beings."

"Meaning that they like to trick the Black Arms?"

"Sometimes."

Amy huffed. "Then why do you assume that I am attracting them?"

"You're the one who smells." Black Light sniffed. "We must leave now."

"If they only want to trick us, we're relatively safe. Let me sleep for a little while longer." Amy grumbled, curling back up on the ground.

"It's not the Pukas that I am worried about!" Black Light hissed, shaking Amy again. "It's the beasts that Pukas tend to attract!"

"…Are they dangerous?" Amy whispered.

Black Light only gave her a dark look, his third eye flashing. That was all it took for Amy to jump up and be ready to leave. Black Light led the way, quickly leaving the clearing behind. Amy's body was tense. Every little rustle made her shiver and every crack of a broken branch made her jump. The vampiric trees were really not helping to quell her fears. At least they stood a few feet away and not directly overhead.

Her eyes left the trees only to settle on Black Light. He walked on all four legs but Amy believed that he could walk on only his hind legs, too. He barely made a sound compared to Amy's loudly crunching footsteps.

'You know, from the back, Black Light could almost pass for a giant teddy bear.' Amy thought, then giggled. 'Too bad he's a giant killing machine instead.' Her eyes stared at the monstrous claws. Amy decided right then and there that she was lucky Black Light was nice. Well. Nice enough not to kill her right away.

"You won't find the other Black Arms as kind as me." Black Light said, just loud enough for her to hear.

Amy blinked. "Excuse me?"

Black Light stopped walking and looked behind him over at Amy. "My kind do not take kindly to other species. Especially ones from another planet. At best, they will see you as a slave."

Amy's face scrunched up in bitter disgust at that. "Are you serious? Then what will happen to me?"

"I will try to convince my father to allow you to be a slave. That will be the best for you."

"And if he doesn't allow it?"

"Then let us hope he won't kill you."

His words were void of emotion. Amy stared at him in disbelief as fear locked her body in place.

"You're leading me to my possible death? Enslavement?!" Amy's voice rose. "You said you wouldn't hurt me!"

"Yes." Black Light's voice was cautious now. "Because you are now a prisoner of the Black Arms race. You have intruded on our planet and until the king seals your fate on our planet, I am not allowed to harm you."

Amy's eyes watered in pain.

'There goes my only possible ally. Great! I'm doomed.' Amy thought. She summoned her hammer and took a battle stance. 'If I'm going to die, I'm going to die fighting. Stupid Black Arms race and stupid Sonic for not coming to my rescue. I don't care if I'm on a different planet! He's supposed to be a hero isn't he?!'

She swung her hammer desperately, letting it bullet through the air towards Black Light. It never hit its target. A blur of black and Amy was back to staring at that bloody third eye. It was dancing with mirth and excitement.

'Sheesh.' Amy thought. 'Black Arms sure are bloodthirsty.'

Those were her last thoughts until she blacked out from a single blow from one of Black Light's paws.

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When Amy came to this time, she felt like she had a thunderstorm partying in her brain. It was a very unwelcome feeling. At least she remembered something important during her time in darkness. The Black Arms race. That was the same race that had tried to take over Earth or something a few years ago. And Shadow the Hedgehog was somehow connected to them. Or something like that.

That or she was knocked out really badly and it had messed with her head. She didn't think she could think straight right now.

"Ugh. If I have to faint every day for the rest of my life, just kill me now." Amy grumbled as she sat up and rubbed her head.

"Then this may be a splendid discussion." Someone rumbled darkly.

Amy looked up to find herself staring at Black Doom and all his evil glory. There were black crystals surrounding him like a throne but without a place to sit and silver weaved like spider webs in a strangely beautiful design that reached across to every little crevice in the black room. There were no windows, only guards. No place to escape.

"Let me guess. You're going to kill me if I don't accept whatever disgusting deal you came up with." Amy said; her voice unwavering and fearless. However, on the inside, Amy's brain screamed at her to start crying and begging for mercy. Stupid brain.

"Correct! But perhaps I will just kill you for your insolence, little hedgehog." Black Doom started to float closer to her.

"Soooorrrrryyyy." Amy drawled, not sounding sorry at all. "I just woke up from getting knocked out mere hours after fainting. I think my brain lost the capacity of thinking respectfully. Besides! It's not like it would help me any way. You already made up your mind, didn't you!" Her finger traitorously pointed at Black Doom.

'I am so dead.' Amy's brain cried.

'Yeah, well. I think I died the moment we magically transported here.' Amy thought back to her distressed brain. 'I'm already nuts. I'm talking to my own brain for goodness sakes!'

Black Doom laughed. "You. You are quite funny."

"Huh?" Amy's jaw dropped. She just made the king of an evil alien race _laugh_. Man, this was a crazy day.

"I might keep you around for a little while longer, Pink." He chuckled again at his brilliantly thought-up nickname for his new pet.

Amy threw up her hands in defeat. "Did I miss something here?" she demanded. "What the heck happened when I blacked out?"

"Not much. You might be suffering from going some time without breathing though." Black Light's familiar (when the heck did his voice become familiar to her?) voice spoke up from among the many guards stationed along the walls.

"Repeat?" She squeaked.

"It was faster this way. After I knocked you out, I just took you and ran straight through the forest to get here. Your pathetic lungs were unable to get the oxygen it needed for you to breathe properly." Black Light stated calmly as if didn't risk her life in order to do exactly that.

"Well, no wonder I can't think straight! I was lacking oxygen for god knows how long!" Amy spat furiously in his direction.

"You seem perfectly fine to me." Black Light pointed out. "You're fine enough to throw a childish tantrum."

"It's not a _childish_ tantrum! It's—It's a very _manly_ tantrum!" Amy shouted, curling her hands into fists and stomping her foot on the ground—exactly like a pouting child.

"Yes. It is very manly to stomp your foot and pout."

Amy glared heatedly at him.

Black Doom laughed again. "Yes, I shall keep you as my pet, Pink."

"My name is Amy. "she grumbled, shooting Black Doom a glare, too.

"I like Pink better."

Amy opened her mouth to complain but then stopped. Black Doom was an evil king, the ruler of the _Black Arms race_. And he had just spared her life in a very odd way. Was it really smart to make him change his mind? Of course, not! Better keep her mouth closed.

Amy sighed in relief. "Thank goodness I'm starting to think smart, again."

"Didn't know you could." Black Light couldn't help but say.

Amy glared at him again. "Don't you start." She growled menacingly.

Black Doom waved a hand and a servant appeared.

"Take my new pet to one of Black Light's rooms. Set her up in there." He ordered.

"Yes, my king."

"Father!" Black Light protested. "Why one of mine? Wouldn't it be better to have her closer to _your_ personal quarters?"

"Nah. I have a way to hear everything that goes on in your rooms. It will be much more interesting to keep her close to you." Black Doom smirked and left the room.

Black Light stared in disbelief and annoyance at the closed door. "Stupid old fool." He muttered.

Amy blinked unimpressed. At least she knew she didn't have a perverted 'master'. She found that single fact a great relief. That and the fact that she wasn't a slave.

She was Black Doom's pet.

Eh. Slave or pet? Was being a pet better than being a slave?

"Hey. Which is better? Slave or pet?" Amy asked.

Black Light huffed in annoyance. "You tell me."

Amy thought about it for a moment. "What do I have to do as a pet?"

"Apparently, it is to annoy me for the next few decades or so."

Amy grinned. "Then I say being a pet is better."

"Of course you do." Black Light muttered darkly. Sulking, he crept away from the throne room—as Amy had come to call it.

* * *

**yEAH... so...**

**It was a sort of short chapter and not much really happened, but the story is moving along! The next chapter will be more interesting, so please don't quit reading!**

**Review please! (It powers my imagination! o.o)**


	3. Gary

**Hello, everyone! **

**It's late, but Happy Independence Day! **

**I meant to post this chapter yesterday, but was away from my computer the entire day. Also, I sincerely apologize for posting this chapter so late! I've been meaning to post a chapter once a week, but my schedule got busier and busier with volunteering and summer assignments. Plus, I had writer's block on this chapter. Poo. Hopefully, chapter 4 won't take so long.**

**Besides all that, I do believe this is my longest chapter EVER! Woohoo!**

**Thank you for your patience and...**

**Zari Thorn96: I'm so glad you love my story! Sorry it took so long for this chapter to finish. And I'm afraid you're right. It's a bit early in the story for me to answer your question. I'm barely understanding where this is going myself. I usually just have the basic plot in my head and let my imagination flow when I actually start typing it out. **

**Amy roxs1: If you could give me more information about your oc, I'll see what role she can fit in the story.**

**Pvlse: Thank you! And you're right that this is new. I just hope it turns out as good as I imagined it!**

**AuthornessRose: I'm glad you like the interactions. Haha. I was kind of tired when I wrote that part so I wasn't sure if it was going to be as funny to others as it was to me. XD**

**Guests: Thank you for reviewing! I hope I will hear from you, again!**

**Now on with the story!**

* * *

CHAPTER 3

The guard leading Amy through the coiling caves was definitely a cat.

He had pointy ears like a cat. He had fangs like a cat. He had a long, sleek tail like a cat. He had claws like a cat. He had brilliant garnet, slit eyes like a cat. He had a glossy black pelt **like a cat**. Muscular. Twice her size, which was small compared to most Black Arms—perhaps he was the runt of his litter. Graceful (sad to say, he was probably more graceful than her).

Unable to stop herself, Amy grabbed the cat-guard's tail and pulled.

"RRWWAAAOOWWW!" the guard yowled- his body stiffening, fur rising, claws unsheathing, eyes widening, mouth opening—he looked ready to jump up and cling to the ceiling. Instead, he flung himself around to face Amy, wincing as his tail was pulled again. "What'd ya do that fer, 'edgehog?! That hurt!"

"Really?" Amy asked, waving the hand grabbing his tail. "I couldn't help myself! It was just twitching back and forth in front of me!" She batted her eyelashes at him innocently.

"We'll see how ya like it!" the cat-guard yelled, making a lunge for Amy's tail.

Amy dodged out of the way and pulled his tail again, eliciting another cat-like yowl from him. She giggled.

Hey. If your job was to be a powerful alien king's pet, might as well use the position to the fullest. This includes bullying his guards.

"Stop that!" He whined. "That really hurts!" He made a pitiful face.

Amy's heart sped up at the sight of the adorable face. Almost as cute as Sonic's pitiful face when he finds Amy tagging along when he doesn't want her to. Amy Rose was a sucker for cute things.

Unfortunately, the guard took that moment to lunge at her tail again, managing to grab it this time. He yanked it until Amy saw white stars dance across her vision.

"Let go! If you hurt me, I swear you will regret it!" Amy threatened, baring her teeth.

The guard ignored her, continuing to tug on her tail until she yelped in pain. In turn, Amy yanked on his tail. That was how the tail-tugging between Amy Rose and the cat-guard gradually turned into a full blown war. Pulling out her hammer, Amy smashed the ebony cave around her as if she was playing ultimate whack-a-mole. It was all the guard could do to pounce from one wall to the other, barely evading the flying hammer. The two steadily moved from one corridor to another until they were at an underground bridge built over some sort of underground hotspring. The guard recognized it as the royal baths. Curses! They were in restricted area! They shouldn't be here! But how to divert the mad blur in front of him? Jump over her? Impossible. She would hit him out of the sky like a baseball. Why couldn't bridges be a four-way or something?!

Luck heard him and answered by tripping Amy so that her next swig sent her hammer speeding off the bridge. Without any hesitation, Amy lunged after it.

"ARE YOU NUTS?!" the guard screeched before pouncing after her. If she were to die before his king grew tired of her, he would be killed! Or worse!

Three objects: a hammer, a hedgehog, and a guard. Falling. Air rushing in their ears. Eyes wide open. Two of the three objects desperately reaching for something. Nothing within fifteen feet below them.

'This was probably not a good idea…' Amy and the guard thought.

Amy's reaching hands never caught her hammer, but the guard managed to hug Amy to his body before they plunged straight into the water. The bath area was thankfully deep enough that it didn't kill them, but it was shallow enough to knock most of the air out of the guard when they hit the bottom with Amy on top. Amy squirmed away from him and swam to the top as fast as she could. She gasped loudly as she broke the surface and began to cough while trying to maintain floating. Few seconds later, the guard came up, gasping louder than Amy and looking extremely pissed.

"What the hell wer ya thinking, hedgehog?!" he spat, looking exactly like a cat forcibly taking a bath. "Ya could've got us killed!"

Amy huffed and turned her head away, her face flushing in embarrassment and from the heat of the water. "Don't patronize me!" Then, she spotted her hammer floating a few feet away and swam to it. Just as she wrapped her hand around it, she realized that there was no need to jump off a bridge after her hammer. She could always summon another one. "Ah, fugger it! How could I forget that I _summon_ hammers?!"

"Yes, how could ya forget?" the guard huffed. "Stupid 'edgehog." he muttered under his breath as he made his way towards land.

"I heard that!"

"Good!"

Grumbling, Amy put her hammer away and swam to the edge after the guard. As the cat was leaving the bath, Amy pulled on his tail, dragging him back into the water as she climbed out first. The guard, in response, hissed and leaped out of the water, landing nicely beside his torturer. He shot a glare at her in annoyance.

Amy fell back on her bottom and laughed, shakily extending her hand as she tried to cover her giggles. The guard just stared.

"My name is Amy Rose. What's your name?"

"We're doing introductions _now_?" the guard's mouth dropped in incredulity. Then again, this hedgehog was weird. Perhaps the teasing this entire time was a test? And he passed? He shook her hand. "Grey Blood."

Before he could remove his hand from hers, Amy flipped him into the air sending him back into the deeper ends of the hotspring. Amy burst out laughing.

"Gah! This is so much fun! You and I are going to be best buds from now on, Gary!" Amy chuckled. Her face radiated amusement. It annoyed the heck out of the once-again drenched cat.

"My name isn't Gary! It's Grey Blood!"

"But that's such a mouth full!" Amy whined as she proceeded to wring her dress of water, apparently finished throwing Gary into the bath.

'That hedgehog is too strong for her own good!' Gary thought bitterly. He worked on shaking the water off his fur. 'Thank goodness no one is around right now. If we get caught out of area...'

"Must you plague my baths, too, you annoying hedgehog?"

Gary and Amy froze. 'Spoke too soon...'

Gary looked up and gulped at the sight of a very annoyed Black Light. The Prince was not someone you messed with and expected to live another hour. The sight of him was terrifying!

However, the new royal pet was immune.

"Suuuuupp." Amy dragged out, raising an arm in greeting before bursting into more giggles.

Black Light raised an eyebrow. "I think you need a nap, child. You're obviously suffering from some mental issue. Had the lack of oxygen completely kill your brain cells?"

"No!" Amy huffed. "I just nearly died several times today. I'm readjusting to things! Like the fact that an alien king made me his pet to annoy his son. Not such a bad ending to a day that, is it?"

"I beg to differ." Black Light sneered, his upper lip drawing back into a snarl. "Now leave so I can have a bath."

"What if I don't want to leave?" Amy challenged.

'Amy Rose! What is wrong with you? So rude! You were taught to be better than this!' Amy's brain scolded.

'Yeah, but I deserve this. My life is on a rollercoaster. Everything has changed and it keeps changing. Leave me be! It's funner this way.' Amy retorted back at her own brain. 'Man I really need a nap. Maybe that will stop me from arguing with myself.'

The entire time Amy was talking to herself silently, Black Light was yelling at Gary and Amy for their intrusion. He was still yelling when Amy decided that she really did want that nap. It had been a long day.

"And where do you think you're going, hedgehog?" Black Light shouted at her retreating back. "I'm not done with you yet!"

"I'm going to take my nap now! I've had a long day, okay?!" Amy spat, glaring at him over her shoulder before turning her gaze on the cat-guard. "Come on, Gary! I don't know how to navigate this place by myself!"

Scrambling up from his submissive position on the ground, Gary hurried to lead Amy away from the Prince before they became his midnight snack.

Once they were gone, Black Light looked up at the bridge.

"Is this what you wanted, you old dog? Annoying me to death by sic-ing your new pet on me?" Black Light shouted.

On the middle of the bridge, sitting comfortably in a chair with a huge bag of popcorn on his lap, Black Doom merely waved down at his son, his eyes dancing with mirth.

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Gary was fretting. After a long bath in the servants' hotspring, the pink hedgehog had randomly walked into one of the rooms on Prince Black Light's hall and quickly fell into deep sleep on the bed there. Sadly, that room just happened to be Prince Black Light's room. The Prince will not take kindly to it. If he didn't kill her for her mistake, then he will torture her until she was barely conscious and then toss her out without a word. Well. Maybe a few curses thrown his way.

Everybody blames the guards for everything.

Gary had a feeling that his new charge was going to kill him indirectly one day.

He tugged his ears down harshly in frustration. Man, that female could sleep! He had tried everything: yelling in her ears, pushing her (which only ended up with a hammer slammed into his face), attempting to bribe her, etc. Nothing would get the hedgehog to move. She must have really needed the nap. Well, sleep, really, since it was around nighttime now anyways. In fact, he should just go to his own bedroom and retire for the day, too.

Just as he gave up and got ready to leave, the door opened and Black Light strode in. It only took half a second for him to notice Amy passed out on his bed and even less time for him to glare at Gary.

"P-Prince Black L-Light!" stuttered Gary. "I'm sorry, yer highness! I tried everything tuh move her! Truly! Ya've gots tuh believe me!" Desperation made him bend down in submission, bowing with his face planted on the floor. "She sleeps like the dead!"

Black Light sneered. He turned his head to look at the snoring hedgehog and huffed in defeat. She wasn't the only one who had a long day. So instead of dragging her out of his bed, he just went over to one of the larger couches around his room and stretched out on top of it, closing his eyes as fatigue misted over his mind. If the pet wanted to sleep on his bed, let her, but he wasn't going to give up the right to sleep in his own room for her.

Gary just sat in the middle of the room with his eyes wide in disbelief. After a few minutes, Black Light opened one eye to look at him.

"Well? Get out!" Black Light growled.

Gary bolted out of the room without another word.

Black Light closed his eyes again as he finally drifted off to sleep. When he next opened his eyes, the pink hedgehog was out of his room. Thank goodness! He stretched out the stiffness in his muscles from sleeping on a couch and yawned widely. Sliding onto the cave floor, he clawed it carefully, sharpening his claws on the hard rock. There was no trace that anyone had spent the night in his room except for her candy scent in the room. Annoyed with the feminine scent, Black Light strode over to his balcony and opened the doors wide to let the air outside cleanse his room.

"AAAAAMMMMMYYYY!"

The dark prince's ears pressed flatly against the side of his head as the alarmed scream entered. Curious, he looked over the rails and into the underground garden. The gardens were located in the middle of all the multiple hallways created for the royal family and the other nobles that surrounded the garden like the twigs of a bird's nest. The higher up the rooms were, the more important the owner of the rooms. That being said, Black Light's room was located in the second highest hallway, right underneath his father's. It was only with his sharpened vision that he could even make out the two blurs among the garden's plants. As for the fact that he could hear them as if he was right next to them, the carver of the caves had specially made the garden area so that the sounds on the ground floor got clearer and louder as the sound waves travelled up. It was made as a defense mechanism so that when intruders infiltrated the garden, the nobles, and more specifically the king, could know of the invasion long before the enemies reached their rooms.

Black Light always thought it was useful. It was always interesting to hear what the nobles had to say about him and his father behind their backs. Now, however, he might have to change his opinions if the blasted earthling took a liking to the gardens.

"AAAMMMYYYY!" Gary screamed, again. "Please! Don't go ner the plants! They maght be poisonous tuh YOOOOUUUU!"

"Oh, Gary, you worry too much." Amy teased her guard. "The plants are harmless! Look!" Amy put a hand on one of the bell-shaped flowers standing as tall as the tallest sunflowers. "It's the forest full of vampiric trees I need to worry about. These flowers don't hurt me!"

"But! But! That's a Jong Kkoch!" Gary stammered, waving his paws over the air above his head and swishing his tail back and forth for emphasis. "They cause one tuh be paralyzed fer hours!"

"Well I'm not paralyzed so maybe they don't work on me." Amy said, clearly interested. Gary started saying something more, but Amy moved on to another patch of flowers. "What plants are these?"

"Ppalgan Yojeong." Gary answered. "They dun't really do anythin' but keep Gwisin away."

"Gwisin?" Amy asked as she ran a soft hand over the bright red petals.

"Phantoms." Gary answered. "They like tuh float around dark plaices like caves, so the king had these flow'rs planted tuh drive them away from us."

"What do they do?" Amy asked. "Are they dangerous?"

"Dangerous? Not really. They just disturb many of the Black Arms race." Gary chuckled. "There's uh myth that involves them and the end of the Black Arms rule ov'r Gomjong Sek. Some think that when the Gwisin gather 'nough of the dead, they'll attack the living. Others say that the Gwisin is waiting for their princess to appear."

"Wow. You sure know alot!" Amy smiled.

Gary blushed. "Not really. They're just things mah dad used tuh tell me as uh child." He played with an ear as he looked away from Amy's smile.

From his balcony, Black Light scoffed. The runt of the guards falling for the earthling hedgehog. Disgusting. Yet. How fitting. He was about to turn around and go back inside when he heard a soft sound behind him.

"Is that jealousy I smell?"

"Go away, old dog." Black Light sighed in annoyance. "Whatever you are predicting will happen between me and your pet, you are wrong." He turned around to face his father, who was comfortably standing in between him and his bedroom.

"Not a prediction. Just a gut feeling." Black Doom shrugged. "It's unusual for you to bring strangers back on your random runs out. Alive. Usually, you kill them and bring me their head."

"This one was unusual. I-" Black Light paused as he tilted his head away from his father. "I didn't know what to do with her."

"Oh?" Black Doom's eyes narrowed. "You're lying. You _always_ know what to do. You _always_ know what you _want_. So why is this time different?"

Black Light stayed silent, watching Amy go from flower to flower and getting Gary to explain what they do. Black Doom stiffened. It was obvious that his son was unwilling to explain himself at this time, but he couldn't help but feel that it was something very important. It couldn't be...

"It's not love at first sight or anything like that, is it?! Son! You know how I feel about sudden love!" Black Doom bellowed as he slapped both hands on either side of his face in a very dramatic show of shock. "No instant connection without a proper introduction of yourself!"

"Wha-? No! How could you possibly think that I will ever feel anything but disgust towards that creature?!" Black Light spat. His muzzle tinting pink.

"Oh. Good." Black Doom said. "For a moment there, I thought I was going to have to kill for failing to annoy you!" Black Doom climbed back up to his balcony, laughing the entire way.

Black Light stared after him in disbelief.

He really regretted bringing that hedgehog back to the palace. She probably had as much dangers here than out there! Was there any possible way to keep her safe?!

Black Light groaned, banging his head against the rail a little.

The answer was most likely no.

The world was unfair. Teasing him like this. Testing him.

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**Remember to review or fave! And please keep reading!**

**Thank you to all those who have liked my story so far! **

**Love you!**


	4. Project Shadow

**Sorry it took FOREVER to finish this chapter, but my life is hectic right now. No joke. :**(

**Thank you for your patience.**

**But just in case you didn't know...this chapter. This chapter right here is the longest chapter I have ever written. 9 whole pages on Word! Haha. I'm so proud.**

**AuthornessRose: Getting bullied by Amy is his job. XD lol I agree, I am being mean to "Gary" but I couldn't help it. He was made to be bullied. Literally. Sorry I didn't update soon (took so many weeks). I'll try to be faster!**

**Amy roxs 1: Midnight sounds amazing! I could probably fit her in the story. We'll see how it will develop. Thanks for the information!**

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CHAPTER 4

Black Light circled Amy, pacing just out of her reach. For many days, he avoided her no matter how hard Amy tried to find him. It was her job to annoy him, so of course, she was looking for him. Not that she got attached to him in any way. No! Are you crazy? Like that would happen….*scoff* *cough*….anyways! She searched as many places she was allowed to (and even some off-limits areas much to Gary's horror) and became extremely good at navigating through the Black Arms Palace. Still, he never allowed her near him and Amy could only glimpse at him from afar.

So Amy took to hanging out with Gary instead.

Which Gary didn't like.

Not because he didn't like Amy. In fact, he enjoyed her company immensely. However, this little joy came with a few dangers.

Amy might not have noticed it, but the aura of the Prince was hard to ignore for most others. Black Light was always nearby: in the shadows of the garden's edges, on his balcony looking down, pacing the cave halls nearby. The Prince never bothered to conceal his aura or scent, obviously making sure that Gary knew that he was around. The young soldier wasn't stupid. He knew the meaning of the Prince's strange behavior.

His highness was sending out a warning. A warning not to get too close to the hedgehog. Probably because she would not live as long as them. Maybe. He wasn't exactly sure, but it only took a bad mood to send the King screaming for her death, which was why Gary happily did his best to keep Amy away from Black Doom.

"Gary?"

Gary looked up at Amy. "Yeah?"

"What's with all the commotion?" Amy asked. "Did something happen?"

Gary blinked and focused on his surroundings. Amy was right. Something must have happened, because the guards were buzzing with interest and a strange scent was tickling his nose. There was something unusual just outside the cave entrance.

"New prisoners, I think." Gary answered when Amy asked again.

Amy's ears perked up at that. "Let's go see them!"

Gary grimaced. If there were new prisoners, then Black Doom would surely be there and dealing with prisoners didn't usually put the King in a good mood. Amy was safer staying away. He looked up to tell her so, but she was gone,

"Amy! No! You've got to stay here!" Gary cried as he realized Amy was already heading off to the cave entrance. "It's not safe!"

"Then you better hurry and catch up!" Amy called over her shoulders, now going at a full sprint.

"Curses!" Gary hissed before running after her.

Amy ran as fast as she could through the caves. If there were prisoners, there was Black Light. She would catch him for sure this time! As she whirl-winded by, the servants casually dodged out of her way and the guards merely rolled their eyes at her as she passed by. Amy's heart started to pound a bit faster as she got closer and closer. The light at the end of the hall signaling the entrance.

She had to squint her eyes as she broke into the outside world only to run straight into one of the new prisoners.

"Kyaa!" the prisoner—a girl by the sound of her high-note scream—tumbled onto the ground with Amy. The two ended up with Amy on top. "H-Hi…?"

Amy opened her eyes and blinked into two polished oceans. Surprised, she sat back and looked the young girl over. The prisoner had blond hair and fair skin with a gentle smile painted on her lips. Most of all, the girl was human.

"Maria! Are you alright?" another human—a male—ran up to the two females.

Amy looked up into a familiar whiskered-mustache and screamed. "AAAaaaHHhh! Dr. Eggman!" In her surprise, Amy fell to floor and landed on her back.

"What? My name is not Dr. Eggman!" The old man helped Maria up and straightened his lab coat. "My name is Professor Gerald Robotnik."

Amy's eyes bulged out of their sockets. Professor Robotnik? As in Dr. Eggman's grandfather Professor Robotnik? Wasn't he dead?! And if he is who he says he is and who Amy is thinking he is, then the Maria beside him must be the same Maria she kept hearing about from Shadow the Hedgehog! So Maria should be dead, too! Gah. This was making her brain hurt.

'Sooo. I didn't just travel through space over night but THROUGH TIME, TOO?!' Amy's brain exploded. 'HOW DID THIS HAPPEN? WAS THIS EVEN POSSIBLE? I JUST WALKED THROUGH A STORM, FOR PETE'S SAKE!

I'm dead. And this is just a dream before heaven. A nightmare. Wait, does that mean I'm going to Hell?' Amy thought.

The pink hedgehog flipped over and buried her face in the dirt. "What did I do to deserve this?" she wailed.

Gerald and Maria stared at the hedgehog in surprise. She didn't look like part of the Black Arms. In fact, she looked quite earthly. And, right now, pitiful.

A movement from the cave entrance directed their attention to one of the Black Arms race. This one was larger than the guards that found them when they crashed onto this planet and looked positively frightening with that dark sneer of his. The Black Arms guards around them bowed slightly as it came closer.

"Get up, you sniveling hedgehog." Black Light growled. "What are you crying for?"

The pink form sat up quickly and looked at the massive beast. Her face immediately changed from horror-stricken to one of pure delight.

"Black Light!" Amy launched herself at him, her arms not long enough to circle his neck completely, though that didn't stop her from trying. "I missed annoying you!" Then she took a step back and glared at him accusingly. "Have you been avoiding me?" she asked while wagging a finger at him.

The Prince just snorted and turned his attention to the humans. "What. Are. You?"

Gerald stepped forward and tried to look somewhat confident. "My name is Professor Gerald Robotnik and this is my granddaughter, Maria. My ship crashed on your planet. We just need a few supplies to fix it and be out of your sight forever."

"A ship?" Amy blurted before Black Light could refuse. "That travels through space?"

"Of course." Gerald scoffed. "A ship made to float on water would hardly be of use in space!"

Amy's heart soared. A spaceship could definitely take her back to Earth! Better than that! If Robotnik succeeded in creating the spaceship, then he could definitely figure out how to return Amy to her time! This man, who looked like Dr. Eggman, was going to be her savior. However, as she stared into the old man's eyes, a shiver crept up her spine. Those cold eyes were black and calculating. She didn't like how he kept looking at Black Light, either.

She didn't like this Professor at all, but who else could she turn to?

"If I get you the supplies, can you help me in return?" Amy asked, her body tensing in anticipation.

Black Light snapped his attention to her. "And how are you planning to get these supplies? You're nothing but the royal _pet_." He spat the last word with a glare thrown in.

Amy didn't even turn to him. She watched Gerald carefully as he thought it through. If he was smart, then he would know that Amy was the only chance he had of getting supplies. The Black Arms race certainly wouldn't be so charitable.

"Agreed. But how will you get me these supplies? The…um…dog… has a point." Gerald said.

Black Light growled at him for being called a dog. Gerald shrugged and looked at him apologetically. These Black Arms creatures looked monstrous and the same to the poor old man. There was no way he could have guessed that the beast before him was actually the Prince of the whole Black Arms race.

"That's not your problem." Amy said as she turned to side with her nose in the air.

'Yeah. That's my problem, isn't it?' Amy thought desperately. 'What kind of things does he need that are easily accessible to me? Rocks? Wood? And even wood is pretty difficult to get!'

Gerald looked exasperated. "If you're the _pet_ around here, then you can't possibly get me the precious metals that I need!"

"Grandfather!" Maria scolded, putting her hand gently on his shoulder. "I'm sure she will help us any way she can."

"But-but! We need our ship at least! And that's a pretty big machine to carry all the way here!"

"Ship?" Amy asked.

"Yes." Maria said. "Our ship crashed a few miles from here. If you're the only one willing to help us, I am sorry to say he is right. It will be too heavy for you."

Amy shook her head fiercely. "Don't worry! I'm stronger than I look!"

Maria smiled gratefully, but her eyes were still apologetic. With that, she and Gerald were taken away into the caves by the guards. Only Amy and Black Light were left. The sun was still as blood red as ever, but the sky around it was growing darker as the sun withdrew its touch from it. The vampiric trees in the distance peeked above the less dangerous trees around the cave entrance. No sounds except the soft rustling of Black Light's fur as the dusty breeze passed through.

"And how do you plan to bring their ship here?" Black Light raised an eyebrow. "You aren't even allowed away from the Palace. Part of being a pet is to stay near the King, your owner."

Amy shrugged. "He doesn't call for me or see me anyways. And if he does, Gary can cover for me."

As she said that, Gary finally burst through the caves. "Gary is going to do what?"

"You're going to cover for me. If I'm not back by morning, I am dead."

"What?!" Gary's jaw dropped and he felt his muscles grow heavy in shock—gravity pulling them to the ground. He looked at Black Light to see if he was going to allow this.

The Prince was obviously displeased with it. His usually knife-sharp gaze was shuttered with disapproval. The way he stood beside the pink female was the stance of a concerned lover. Gary blinked the ridiculous thought away.

"It's almost dark." Black Light pointed out.

"Well, I can't wait until morning!" Amy declared.

"Why not?" Black Light snarled.

"I…I'll forget my plan on how to get the ship over here!" Amy said.

She didn't look at anyone and hurried into the forest before anything more could be spoken. Gary looked at Black Light for instructions. Did he want him to follow her? Or was he to cover for her as she said before?

Apparently, it was the latter as Black Light nodded at him, a sign of dismissal, and followed Amy.

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Amy continued to walk straight. Sadly, she didn't think to ask for specific directions to the ship so she was walking blindly. Everytime she came across an entrance to the vampiric forest, she turned away and started on a new path. After doing this for a couple of times, Amy realized that if she was to find the ship, she will need to get through the vampiric forest. She stood at the edge of the most recently discovered entrance to the dreaded trees. Biting her lips and squeezing her arms, she took the first step and suddenly, all she could see was the horrible trees—towering over her, creating a dome, a cage to trap and suck her life away from her. Amy lost it. She started running.

The second time was just as bad as the first. There was no end to them. She tried not to touch them, but their spidey branches reached out to her, trying to catch her. She looked to the left and saw no hope. The right was full of doom. Panic settled in. Tears started to spring in her eyes. Just as she thought all was lost, she found comfort.

The large tree she had seen the first time she came here. Had she travelled that far? Really? Amy hugged the tree and gasped for breath. There was something about this tree. It gave life instead of taking it away, unlike its brothers and sisters. It was an oasis in a desert. Soothing. Peaceful. Lovely. So lovely. She closed her eyes to rest for a moment, but darkness did not greet her as always. Instead, a vision. It was as if the tree was trying to tell her something. A path. Through the trees. A flash of something shiny.

It was the way to the ship!

Amy opened her eyes and stared wonderingly at the glossy, black trunk.

"What did you see?"

Amy squeaked as Black Light appeared.

"What did you see?" Black Light asked again.

"The way to their ship." Amy answered. Then, she put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes. "How long have you been following me?"

"The whole time." He answered, staring intently at the tree.

For some reason, he looked disappointed. Amy blinked questioningly at him. Was he disappointed that he had to follow her?

"Is there something wrong with the tree?" Amy asked after Black Light stared at it for a long time. "Is it odd that it showed me something?"

"Not at all." Black Light smiled a little, but it looked too wolfish to be seen as kind. "I ho-….. thought it would show something else."

Amy sat down with her back resting against the tree. She stretched her legs in front of her and sighed.

"Does the tree show you stuff, too?" Amy asked.

Black Light sat beside her. "Same thing everytime. Ever since I was young."

Amy glanced up at him sharply.

'Okaayy…so he ignores me for more than a week and then he decides to tell me more about himself?' Amy thought. 'Really? Maybe it was just the fact that they were away from the Palace.'

Here, they were alone. No guard passing by to catch any private conversation. No distractions. Just him and her and silence. Oh, and the tree, of course.

Maybe it was just the presence of the tree. Underneath its broad branches and fruitful leaves, Amy felt like she was in a small paradise and sharing it with Black Light made it all the more private and _theirs_. The presence in the air was like a flutter of butterfly wings on her cheeks—a kiss from the golden clouds of Heaven—the sweetest taste of love. She could tell that Black Light felt the same way. His eyes were at peace and his third eye closed as if it didn't even exist.

"And what is this repetitive vision that you see?" Amy finally asked.

Black Light stiffened a little before relaxing again. He turned his head so that his face was inches away from Amy's, the gentle air that escaped his nose tickling her own, and his startlingly expressive, ruby eyes diving into her mind and soul.

"I see my future mate—my lovely bride wrapped in roses blushing pink." He whispered. "This tree here reveals the future. When it showed you the path to the ship, it was telling you not to worry. That you were going to successfully find the ship. It wasn't really showing you the way. Just that you were eventually going to go down that path."

"Oh." Amy breathed. Words had left her. She didn't blame them. The way Black Light was gazing at her sent her heart pounding against her chest and her skin to burn up. The ground was gone and she was melting away into the sky.

Black Light shifted away from her and back into his former position.

"Let's go." Amy announced after a few more minutes of silent companionship.

Black Light said nothing and just stood, shaking off any leaves that might have fallen on his pelt. He dipped his head to her as she stood up, indicating that she should lead.

Amy turned away from him to face the vampiric trees once more. Except. They weren't there. The only trees around were the okay kind—the type that didn't threaten to kill her. Not wanting to break Black Light's nice streak, she remained silent. The walk was peaceful, which was odd considering Black Light was like a big, black shadow behind her. Instead, his large presence comforted her.

Soon, faster than she thought initially, they found Gerald and Maria's ship.

"Are you kidding me?!" Amy exploded. "This isn't a ship! This is Noah's Arc, space edition!"

Black Light stepped up beside her. "We should have just brought the whole Black Arms army for this. Shall we go back now?"

"No wait!" Amy said, running to the open entrance of the ship. "Maybe it's fine enough to fly to the Palace!"

Black Light snorted as he followed her inside. "And do either of us know how to fly such a thing as this?"

Amy didn't answer and Black Light had lost track of her.

"Amy?" Black Light called.

He turned a corner and entered what seemed to be an office/ laboratory. Amy stood near the blue desk with the large screens repeating static again and again, over and over. She was pale, her usually rosy cheeks drained of color, and her eyes were wide in shock. In her hands were a few documents that had captured her complete attention. Some sort of writing were drawn everywhere on those yellowing paper.

"Amy?" Black Light called again. "Are you okay?"

Hearing her name, Amy turned towards Black Light, revealing the folder from which the documents came from. On it with large black letters were the words: "Project Shadow."

"What is that?" Black Light grimaced at it. Whatever it was, it didn't make Amy happy. Also, he had a bad feeling about it. The strange squiggles were like black snakes slithering around the evil folder.

Tears slid down Amy's face and she was staring at him with a new light.

"Tell me. Is your name really Black Light?" Amy asked, her voice trembling.

"Yes."

"Is that the name you were born with?"

"….What brought this on?" he demanded. His claws were starting to claw into the metal floor.

"Answer the question!" Amy sobbed out. She was lost in her pain now and her tears freely streamed down.

"No. My mother named me Shadow. She wasn't of royal blood and had silly ideas for naming me. After she died a few years later after my birth, my father re-named me."

"Shadow." Amy cried, dropping the documents.

On one of the papers, Black Arms writing was written all over it. There was no doubt about it. It was a contract giving Black Light completely over to Gerald Robotnik for experimentation.

Signed by his own mother.

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**Dun Dun Duuuuhhhh!**

**Yeah...I'm really messing with the past of the Sonic Universe now. C'est la vie! The story just developed this way. Is it really my fault? ...Yeah...but... it had to happen! It was decided from the beginning that Black Light and Shadow the Hedgehog will be same person. Notice the similarity between the two? Yes? No?**

**Read and Review!**

**Even though not alot of people seem interested in it, the few that do will keep the story going!**

**Love you guys! THANK YOU!**


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